Looking for Yoga and Retreats near Philadelphia, NJ or PA?
There are so many areas of natural beauty in the surrounding countryside of the Philly Metro Area. West Chester, Lancaster County and Chester County all have
Scenic trails at Tenemos Retreat Center
beautiful rolling hills where you can enjoy the stillness of nature and ponder and contemplate. There is something very revitalizing about being in the stillness of nature. It actually recharges you to be surrounded by the oxygen that trees produce. Have you ever noticed how just being near a waterfall invigorates you? That is because there are tons of negative ions that are produced when there is a waterfall and also just before a rainstorm? This actually has many proven health benefits and some electric air purifiers use this ionization technology to cleanse the air in your home.
Before you go on a retreat make sure what is included in the cost. Is food, snacks, drinks included? Do you have to bring your own yoga mats, blankets and other props? Is it really luxurious like the Four Seasons or is it bare bones and rustic? What will happen in the case of inclement weather? Can you reschedule or do you get a refund? What is the refund policy in case an emergency comes up or you get sick? How easy or difficult is the retreat to find? Are you able to find it on your GPS? You always should print out a map before driving out in the countryside to a retreat since a GPS doesn’t always track it correctly and you might not get cell phone coverage way out in the boondocks.
Fire-side snuggling at Tenemos Retreat Center near West Chester, Pa
If you were looking to get away with your sweetie but can’t afford or justify a weekend where you stay overnight someplace, what about a yoga workshop where you do romantic poses for couples or partners? Before you go just make sure it is a workshop suitable for beginners and that it is not overly physically demanding. Some types of partner yoga are actually acrobatic yoga where you are holding up all your partner’s weight on your feet and you are actually flying them. I wouldn’t recommend this for those that are not athletic or are not seasoned yoga students since you need a fair amount of body awareness in order to balance another person on your feet.
Make sure the poses are gentle and beginner friendly. Most first time yoga students have a fair amount of anxiety and fear before their first yoga class so it is always better to have a class that feel gentle and accessible so that the yoga newbie won’t be freaked out at all the weird contortions that some very advanced yogis can get their body in.
Many of the romantic poses for couples let you find a deeper sense of kinesthetic support from your partner and you will find you can move through fear and issues of mistrust and start to open up to support. It can be a very emotionally vulnerable experience so you would not want to do these kinds of poses on a first or second date but with someone that you are already committed to since you will explore more depth in your connection together that might not be appropriate for someone you don’t know that well. Most couples yoga classes will also have guided Thai massage lessons as well which can be so nurturing and healing.
My favorite type of snow, beautifully covers the grass and trees with a light blanket.
For free articles about yoga mailed once a month, email info at synergybyjasmine dot com with “Request Yoga Tips” in headline.
Are you looking for retreats close to Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey for Yoga, Spirituality and Meditation?
The morning Tai Chi by the steamy Lake at The Omega Institute
There the Omega Institute for those looking for retreats close to Philadelphia. The Omega Institute is particularly close to my heart since this is where I met my now-hunky, hottie hubby about 4 years ago. Omega, another non-profit, is located in Rhinebeck, NY, a few hours outside of NYC. Interesting factoid, Rhinebeck is also where Chelsea Clinton got married. Michael and I first met in the cafeteria. I was in a foul mood, not wanting to interact, just wanted to be a recluse and focus on my spiritual growth program that I was taking that weekend. I think it was called ” Living Courageously”.
We had an uneventful first meeting. We just talked about the usual subjects that people that don’t know each other well talk about like where we are from, where we work and why we came to Omega. I was actually recovering from a bad breakup and didn’t want to disclose that to this stranger so I was fairly tight-lipped in our first few conversations.
We kept running into each other at Omega…. just walking around the beautiful grounds or at the cafeteria. Before one of the Saturday night concerts we ended up just snuggling on a hammock while watching the fireflies light up the moonlight sky. It was quite a memorable first “date”. I wonder how many people can say that just were on a hammock snuggling while watching fireflies on their first date.
Founded in 1977, Omega is a center for wellness, spiritual and personal growth. Omega offers a bunch of educational experiences that inspire an integrated approach to personal, spiritual and social change. It is located beautiful Hudson Valley. If you are in NYC, then I recommend traveling by train since the train will have such a stunning view of the Hudson.
Omega has been a pioneer in exploring, teaching, and embracing new ideas, focusing on health and wellness, personal spiritual growth, and self-awareness. According to their website, Omega offers, “A journey of personal growth and spiritual development also contributes to the wholeness and balance of the larger community and beyond. At Omega, we like to say we are changing the world one person at a time.”
There are a few places that I would recommend. The Himalayan Institute is probably the closest. The Himalayan Institute is located in northeastern Pennsylvania, 6 miles north of the town of Honesdale in the heart of the rolling hills of the Poconos. New York City and Philadelphia area bout 3 – 4 hours drive by car. (Add an extra hour driving time during rush hour.) The total air/ground trip may be faster and less expensive to the New York airports than to the Scranton airport. It’s kind of near the corner of Pennsylvania where New Jersey and New York state are.
The Himalayan Institute has program for yoga, meditation, spirituality, and holistic health. It’s actually a non-profit, international organization and it’s mission is dedicated to serving humanity through educational, spiritual, and humanitarian programs. It has spiritual heritage that unites East and West with spirituality and science, and ancient wisdom and modern technology. There are a few programs on it’s website that you can also peruse if you can’t make the trek out there.
There are quite a few programs that are free if you are a Premium member which costs $300 a year. If you live within 2-3 hours of the Institute and can make room in your calender every few months then it is probably worth it to just become a premium member.
They have all kinds of educational programs and services and you can actually live at the Institute for a short or long term study. A yoga teacher that taught at one of the studios I also taught at, lived at the Himalayan Institute after her divorce to study yoga and meditation. It was quite a transformative and cleansing experience. You can also just come for a day workshop or weekend workshop and there are a fair amount of online and also correspondence courses.
Their goals is to offer programs that reflect,” The art of joyful living lies at the core of the Institute’s teachings. All of our programs lead to this common goal – living a peaceful and happy life.”
Yoga and Counselors help your with love questions to ask not only your significant other but also yourself. Many counselors that I have met recently recommend that you have a spiritual practice to help you become more mindful of negative thought patterns. I actually know quite a few counselors who I have gotten connected to recently and almost all of them tell me how they would love their clients to have a practice that helps them to center, calm and to relieve anxiety. There are some that have a yoga and counselors special seminars where they teach mindfulness or meditation. I think when a professional also has a background in human psychology that can make a hatha class even more powerful.
I actually know one holistic doctor that also was certified as a yoga teacher and she often recommends to her patients to do yoga in order to manage certain medical conditions such as high blood pressure, anxiety and depression. Yoga and counselors seem to go pretty well together and having a personal practice, either at home or at a studio can be a great adjust to any therapy program that you are a part of.
I know for me when I was going through trauma I would often using my intense yoga class as an emotional detox… even crying as I was doing the poses. I was crying not because the poses were physically demanding but because I was just feeling so much release in the poses. When you are sweaty and straining in a yoga class then if you start to tear up , as long as it is a very full class with some loud music no one actually notices. In these kinds of vigorous classes, everyone is so focused on their own struggle and their own practice that they are not tuning in to what is going on with their neighbor so it ends up being a safe place to release pent up sadness.
For those that work with couples or with couples before they are getting married, they stress how important it is to go over love questions to ask your future husband or future wife. I wish I had done that before some of my significant relationships. There are so many critical love questions to ask that help you both examine your values, beliefs and what kind of lifestyle you want together.
Questions can range from asking about pets, what kind of vacations to take, how much you want your in-laws to be a part of your life, how clean you want the house to how late or early you go to sleep or wake up, how many children you want to have, how much to spend on going out or household items, the role of religion or spirituality in your relationship and literally hundreds of other questions. The one I have looked at is “1000 Questions For Couples” which is a comprehensive list of 1000 questions to ask before marriage.
What questions about your values, beliefs and lifestyle did you ask your partner before marriage? Post your thoughts on our Facebook page.
Poses Romantic Couples are ways that couples can connect through couples yoga and couples meditation. The aspirations of many who practice yoga is to unite your finite self or limited-self within the bounds of your conscious mind with the Infinite Self where you feel at one with the ether of the universe. There’s no better way to enhance that journey than to practice yoga with your beloved or yoga for couples. It can be quite a deep emotional and very vulnerable experience so I don’t recommend doing this with someone you are just casually dating or planning to break up with.
ABC News, recently covered how yoga enhances Intimacy and your sex life on ABC Nightline and their Health blog. Watch this video below from ABC Nightline (30 second commercials plays first)
Sexuality and spirituality are not mutually exclusive. The ancient yogis understood that a worshipful attitude towards your partner created a chemical change in your brain that allowed for the experience of bliss in meditation or yoga. ABC News mentioned two yoga products “The science of yoga” by William Broad and a three part DVD set “Better sex through Yoga” by Jacquie Noelle.
Most yoga classes are very internally focused and you come, lay down your mat and almost avoid eye contact with the people around you and even the teacher. Most students never get to know the people next to them and are content to be completely immersed in their inner world during a yoga class.
Yoga does hold a myriad of benefits in terms of improved stamina, vigor, flexibility, relief from aches and pain, fatigue that can get in the way of intimacy. When your body is free from pain, stiffness, tension, tightness and your are more freed up energetically, then there is more space in your head, heart and body for intimacy.
In poses romantic couples classes and meditations, there is an emphasis on being present to your partner’s presence, breath, intention, movement and to be accepting of any limitations and levels of flexibility. Some poses that you can do are sitting back to back and just becoming present to the rise and fall of your breath and your partner’s breath. Then you try to synchronize your breathing pattern with your partner’s breathing pattern.
Another exercise to try is to monitor your own heart beat and then start to notice your partner’s heartbeat. See if you can synchronize your heartbeat with the heartbeat of your partner. Exercises like these encourage partners to be sensitive and in tune with their significant other’s rhythms and they start to function and exist as one entity instead of two separate entities.
Men are often astounded how doing simple exercises like this can lead to profound insights they can have about themselves, their partner and their relationships. In doing this type of work, it is critical to set up an environment where people feel safe and protected since men are not as accustomed to being vulnerable, especially in a public setting. Having soft music, low lighting, making sure there are no disruptions such as people coming into the room or cell phones going off is paramount.
This feeling of oneness is what leads to bonding and intimacy which makes the physical act of love a natural extension from this kinesthetic bonding that occurs in poses romantic couples classes and meditation exercises. You start to drop into almost a trance and you get so attuned to your partner that you almost feel at one with the ether of the universe at this point. Being in these kinds of alterered or alpha states can bring people into deep levels of consciousness and people start to go on a deep inner journey getting them in contact with their deep inner wisdom.
What Couples Yoga Looks like with Synergy by Jasmine (below)
Yoga, Spas, Romantic Ideas from Philadelphia and Retreats
We hope you had an enjoyable, and fun Holiday (Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza) connecting with family & friends along with an exciting start to the New Year of 2012.
We finished the last two weeks of 2011 visiting family and friends in Southern California and four days in Las Vegas just the two of us. Vegas. . . a great date night ideas (weekend), and we found a room at The Rio for only $40!
We explored the sights, sounds and smells of Sin City from the gluttonous Rio Buffet, uber romantic Venetian Grand Canal, the luxurious Qua Spa at Cesar’s (the best and most underrated spa in the country…. did you know I used to work at Spafinder.com for 3 years?) and the dreamy Bellagio Watershow from 51 stories above in the Eiffel Tower at the Paris (check out our video).
We also explored some of the not so visited areas of Vegas like the Atomic Testing Museum which chronicled the nearly 1,000 nuclear detonations in the Nevada desert. Quite a contrast to the entertainment on the Strip with the fiery tribal volcano show at The Mirage, and haunting Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay.
We started 2012 attending a series of performances and a spiritual kirtan (concerts and chanting) at the World Beat Center in San Diego.
We thoroughly enjoyed the music, food and vibe all for a the recession special price of $27.50. I usually hate New Year’s Eve with all the crowded drunken revelry but this celebration was joyous and soulful.
Yep, you don’t have to spend a small fortune to entertain yourself and your significant other at some of those pricey events that are so heavily promoted.
Wondering what you can do for your next date night as we start 2012?
We will soon have a section on our website sharing pictures and video of creative and fun date night ideas you can use to spice up your love life from the zany and esoteric to exceptional value that your wallet will smile about.
We recently started sharing romance and yoga lifestyle related ideas on our website under Stuff I Like and Product Reviews.
Want to share creative date night ideas, we’d love to hear your ideas.
Yoga, Spas, Romantic Ideas from Philadelphia and Romantic Retreats
Guys, its good to start thinking about this stuff from now, especially with Valentines’s Day about a month away.
Venus Kriyas are meditations for couples and are excellent as a regular spiritual practice. There are several Venus Kriyas, but they are especially effective if couples choose one meditation to practice consistently for 40, 90 or 120 days to integrate a particular aspect of the relationship (40 days to change a habit, 90 days to confirm the habit and 120 days to make the new habit part of you. These couples’ meditations are an especially beautiful practice that can elevate your relationship to a higher level.
Couples Yoga Poses and Meditation Benefits
For couples who want to explore safe, playful ways of being tender and loving together, couples yoga poses can transform your connection. You will take turns placing each other in restorative poses and then massaging your partner’s hands, feet, neck and face while they simply get to relax and melt. In poses and exercises, partners rely on each other’s support to keep correct body alignment, balance, and concentration. In a deeper sense, this physical support fosters deeper feelings of nurture and acceptance. Couples are reminded to respect their own and their partner’s limitations of stretching and physical fitness and not push beyond them to the point of discomfort.
How does yoga transform you physically, mentally and spiritually?
Release chronic pain, tightness and that frozen feeling in your body through juicy stretching and deep breathing.
Each breath, coupled with movement and intention allows you to create the space for change.
Gain clarity to detach from outcomes during your day so that decisions and obstacles become less stressful, which keeps you off the emotional roller coaster for good.
Feel connected to the ether of the universe and the divine spark that resides in us all
Synchronize through breath, touch, intention, and movement and learn how to be sensitive to your partner’s needs with a healing, soothing practice
For free articles about yoga mailed once a month, email info at synergybyjasmine dot com with “Request Yoga Tips” in headline.
Jasmine Kaloudis teaches couples yoga poses as well as gentle beginner yoga in various Philadelphia area locations and is the author of the top mind body blogs and websites for 2011.
Yoga and Counselors help your with love questions to ask not only your significant other but also yourself. Many counselors that I have met recently recommend that you have a spiritual practice to help you become more mindful of negative thought patterns. I actually know quite a few counselors who I have gotten connected to recently and almost all of them tell me how they would love their clients to have a practice that helps them to center, calm and to relieve anxiety. There are some that have a yoga and counselors special seminars where they teach mindfulness or meditation. I think when a professional also has a background in human psychology that can make a hatha class even 
more powerful.
The ancient yogis understood that a worshipful attitude towards your partner created a chemical change in your brain that allowed for the experience of bliss in meditatio
We thoroughly enjoyed the music, food and vibe all for a the recession special price of $27.50. I usually hate New Year’s Eve with all the crowded drunken revelry but this celebration was joyous and soulful.